Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb overcame racial segregation and sexism throughout her career, excelling in her work throughout the country as a researcher, professor and higher education administrator. As a scientific researcher, she studied the skin pigment melanin and the testing of new chemotherapy drugs to treat melanoma; her research is still widely applied to the treatment of skin and lung cancers.

Dr. Cobb was the first African-American to be appointed Dean of Douglass College. A researcher with an impressive background in cell cytology and cancer research, she was also a role model for women in science. Throughout her career, she advocated for women and minorities to enter careers in science, math and engineering.